The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-16
HALLUCINATI0NS.
STORIES OF THE STRANGE FAN
CIES OF SANE PEOPLE
A Man Who Imagined He Had a
Glass Side, and Another Who
Thought Himself a Tea
pot-Other Manias.

When / was student attending meo"
ical lectures remember well our profess
sor on nervous diseases relating many
queer stories of the strange fancies OF
patients, sane on all points but one, and
on the action of strong mind over
weak one. =,
Many. no doubt, have heard of the
man with the glass side. He was we'll
educated gentleman, moving in good 30
ciety, correct in his business habits, and
sane on all points but this. He was quite
positive that he had glass side, and no
arguments or action of family or friends
could convince him to the contrary. He
was very careful of the same side; never
attempting to lean on it, allowing no
one to touch it, and in every way show
ing to all that he knew it was glass. OF
course, his friends tried to convince him
in every way that it was only an abnormal
fancy. They even hit on the side that he
supposed was glass, blows hard enough
to break even plate glass. Eminent ply.
sicjans were called in, who likewise tried
to convince him of his mistake, but all
to no purpose.
At length Sir Ashley Cooper, the most
eminent physician in England, was con.
suited. An appointment was made, and
in company with his family physicians
he saw the patient. AS he was intro
duced to the patient Sir Ashley Cooper
began laughing, not at the patient, but
at the other physicians, saying: "Why,
gentlemen. how blind you all must be.
ANY one with halt an eye can easily see
that onr friend has glass side. I am
sorry have not time to-day to examine
HIM more closely, but tomorrow at
twelve I will meet you all here" He
then retired with the attending phys
icians, leaving the patient overjoyed that
al last he had been able to convince some
one-and that one the greatest of all
physicians-ast to his affiiction, The next
day at twelve Sir Ashley was there with
the other physicians. In those days cloaks
were worn by nearly all gentlemen. AS
Sir Ashley came into the room he
threw his cloak into a convenient
chair, and began carefully to examine
the patient. After few minutes he got
him near the chair where his cloak was,
and got out his instrument. He told the
patient not to be frightened, as all his
future happiness depended on the next
few minutes. He was then asked to
close his eyes. The cloak was taken off
the chair, and the patient quickly and
forcibly pushed into it. There was in
stantly sound of breaking glass. The
patient turned around and found the
chair and floor strewn with fragments
of glass. Sir Ashley, with pretended
delight, said: s!You are now
completely cured" The patient was
overjoyed to have so easily. gotten
rid of his burden, and never afterward
imagined he had glass side. The
reader can easily see what Sir Ashley
Cooper had done. He found the only
way to cure the patient was to agree
with him, as nobody else had. He had
a piece of glass blown and hidden under
his cloak. The patient had no suspicion
of the trick, believing it was his old
enemy that was smashed.
I have known men to imagine that
they had gold brains, silver livers and
crystal stomachs, and the latter would
swallow no hard food for fear of break
ing the said brittle organ. There is an
authentic case on record of man who
thought himself teapot and always
went about, at home and on the street,
with one arm held out at right angles
and the other akimbo, walked sideways
and made Kissing noise, like q teapot
boiling. Nothing could convince him to
the contrary. For many years 1t was the
only symptom of insanity he showed,
bit eventually he died in an asylum for
the insane.
Among women We find hundreds
whom nothing can convince that they
have not a cancer. With every pain OF
spot that shows itself they hasten to the
physician asserting most positively that
it is the first symptom of their dreaded
foe. Men generally fear consumption OF
kidney disease. find it harder to con.
vince such patients that they have moth.
ing to dread than to cure or relieve other
sensible patients with more serious dis.
eases.
Speaking of hallucinations, I have in
mind Just now a lady, one of the best
actresses in this country, who has such
a horror of dirt that it has become almost
a mania with her. In washing her hands
she uses at least five bowls of water, uses
a towel but once, and that, when it leaves
the lauudress, must be locked up lest
any human hand should touch it. Her
tooth. brush is always under lock and
key. Every morning it takes her ovel
an hour to bathe, using at least three
tubs of water. She dimes in no rcStaur-
ant where she has not the privilege of
examining the kitchen and questioning
the cook. Her one hobby is water. !
ALWAYS call her an aquamaniac.
know very charming gentleman, a
prominent business man, who not for
Nanderbilt's wealth would cross any
river or leave New York. I have used
every cndeavor to get him to cross the
ferry from New York to Brooklyn, and
only succeeded once-by drugging him
He cannot tell why. but as soon as the
boat is on the point of starting he has
feeling as if he were about to die,
cold pe-spiration breaks out all over
him, lis knees shake. and stranger
looking at him would think he was about
to collapse. This has been going on for
about Ell ght years. In evcryth ng else he
is perfectly sane; at home he is charm
ing in every respect. He has consulted
the most eminent physicians of New
York, but to no avail.-Neu 1OrG
Mirror.
The Scent Of Hunting Dogs.
Some curious facts in relation to the
scent of sporting dogs were told me. On